Hey everyone! I just had some ideas, so I decided to write them down. Here is my first oneshot. Let me know if you like it, I have more in my head. :P
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender because if I did, they would all sing a Zutarian national anthem at the begining of each show, so they would all know they're places. I do, however, own this story.
"Uncle! I need two Jasmine, one Green, and one Leeche!" Zuko shouted over the counter to his uncle.
"I'm brewing as fast as I can!" Iroh chuckled in reply.
But as Zuko's uncle was in mid sentence, Zuko's ears where listening elsewhere.
Right before Zuko had called out the order, he heard a familiar voice say, "Table for two please." He couldn't quite place it, but he recognized it. Sadly, Zuko was far to busy to look toward the door. The Jasmine Dragon had been over flowing with costumers and orders all day. Zuko hadn't gotten a single break.
But as Zuko's attention floated away from his uncle's reply, he sensed a disturbance in the shop behind him. He heard a small, barely auditable gasp, followed by a small "grgrgroowwwlll" of fear. He turned slowly and caught the eye of the Waterbender that the Avatar traveled with. She looked at him with pure fear and her eyes widened. And just like that, she was gone, tearing down the street, toward the royal palace.
Zuko's first thought was the Avatar, and his chances of getting home. But his second thought was his uncle, finally happy. Iroh had followed Zuko around the world searching for the Avatar, and never complained. Also, his uncle had always reassured him, even though they both new the cold hard truth; Zuko would never catch the Avatar.
Zuko frowned. He would not hurt the girl, or pursue the Avatar, but he had to stop her from ruining his uncle's dreams.
Zuko tore off his apron, and took off out the front door, grabbing his Duo Swords off the wall, where they sat as decretory pieces, as he went.
Iroh turned around to hand Zuko the tea cups, but Zuko was gone.
Katara was winded but she would not stop running. Momo took to the skies to lighten her load. He flew ahead, keeping low.
Katara heard footsteps behind her. She glanced back and held in a scream, Zuko was on her tail. She looked forward and continued to run. Something confused her; Zuko's face had no scowl, no frown, not a trace of madness what so ever. He just looked concentrated and concerned. Katara shook her head.
She tried to run faster. There where barrels surrounding her, on the walls of the narrow ally way, that was a short cut to the palace. She had to warn the King. There where Firebenders in Ba Sing Se.
As she ran, Katara pushed the barrels behind her, to stop Zuko. She turned her head to see if he had fallen. She turned and then ran into one of the barrels. She fell and tumbled. As soon as she had, there was someone there, helping her up. She stood and looked around, her hand still in his, for Zuko, but he was gone. She would be safe with this stranger, for now. She looked back at the man who had helped her up and came face to face with Zuko. His eyes pleaded, and looked concerned. She tore her hand away and shoved him into the wall. She continued to run and realized that she had gone the wrong way, she whipped around to run back, but Zuko was standing in her way, yielding his Duo Swords.
Zuko stuttered, "Uh, can we—" Katara had already opened her water skin and whipped Zuko in the chest with a water whip.
Zuko stepped back and staggered slightly, "Wait—" She hit him again, right in the stomach with an ice ball. He bent forward and coughed, he stood up straight again.
"Katara —" He tried again. She rapped the water around his leg and pulled it out from under him. He hit the ground with a hard "thump". Other than battle tactics, one thing was running though Katara's mind, Why doesn't he fight back?
He huffed and then just laid there. Katara was stunned for a second, but then Zuko started to sit up, now with an annoyed look on his face. Katara turned to run. Zuko put out his hand. "Please." He said that one simple word. And Katara stopped mid-pivot. She sharpened her water in to an ice dagger and walked over to Zuko cautiously.
Zuko looked up and Katara and frowned.
"What's wrong with you? Why won't you fight?" Katara asked. "You chase me and then when you have me, you let me kick the crap out of you?" Katara narrowed her eyes then pushed the ice dagger closer to Zuko. "Why?"
"Because there is too much at stake." Zuko said looking down. Then he looked up at Katara and furrowed his brow. There eyes met, and Katara could see the pain, but could not place it. His scar.
"Too much at st—Oh what? has your precious family found that you can't handle a young boy? Have they finally deemed you inadequate? Worthless..." Katara had hit the spot, she could tell. Zuko's eyes, began to blaze.
"No. My Uncle —" Zuko started, but Katara interrupted.
"Your uncle? I was under the impression that you cared for no one but the Avatar. You have no respect for the world, for yourself, and most certainly not for your uncle."
In a spit of rage, Zuko hit the ice dagger against the wall and it shattered. He had Katara by the throat and up against the wall before she could gather the water.
Zuko held her there, and then his temper settled. He realized that his hands where red hot. He quickly released his grasp and let Katara fall to the ground. She whimpered and let the tears roll down her cheeks. Zuko knelt down.
"I— I'm — I'm sorry" he said. She looked him in the eye and could see the true sincerity behind his apology. He broke the gaze.
She touched his arm and waited until he looked up. Then she pointed to he water skin. Zuko nodded and handed it to her. She was thankful but curious. Why would he give me my water skin when I could just open it and attack?
She nodded in thanks. When she took her hand away from her neck Zuko gasped and crawled backward into the wall behind him, gaping all the while. There was a red mark, burned into her dark skin, the shape of his hand.
Zuko closed his hands and remembered; his fathers fury, his promise to himself, his scar. Zuko subconsciously touched his scar. Then he stood and ran out of the ally. Katara called after him. But he was gone.
Zuko sat on the roof of his apartment until hours after dark. He couldn't get the image out of his mind. He held his knees and rocked back and forth like a young child. He had come home and headed straight up. His uncle had not asked any questions, and Zuko was thankful.
Zuko watched people pass below. He caught the silhouette of a young woman walking toward the tea shop. She had steady steps until she was about ten feet before the door. Then she hesitated. She looked up and then around, and then stepped into the light of the shop. And shut the door behind her.
Katara had to find Zuko. She knew of only one place to go. She went to the tea shop. She walked there strong and confident. She as she neared the door, she hesitated. She was walking right into the hands of the fire nation. This could be a serious mistake. She huffed, and followed her heart.
She walked in and looked around. There was nobody in the store except a lone old man, busing the tables: Zuko's uncle.
Katara stepped cautiously toward the old man. He glanced over his shoulder and saw her. She stopped walking, and then straightened her back.
Iroh stepped forward to the peculiar girl wearing a black cloak, "Hello dear, Welcome to the Jasmine Dragon. If you would like to take a seat, I can give you a menu." He motioned to the table to his right.
"No, thank you." Katara stared in. "I would like to speak with Zuko."
Iroh was very good at hiding his feeling. He sincerely looked as if he had never heard that name in his life. He smiled. "I'm sorry dear, there is no one by that name here."
Katara smiled at the old man's attempts. She lifted her hood over her head and let it settle upon her shoulders. She smiled at Iroh and let the cloak fall lower, just enough to expose the hand print. She winced as the fabric brushed the tender flesh.
"Please. Let me talk to Zuko." She asked politely.
Iroh's eyes studied her face, and found the mark. He looked angry, worried, and sad, all at the same time.
He nodded. "He's on the roof." Iroh said, and then continued to clean the tables.
Katara nodded in thanks and started a slow trek up the stairs.
Katara found Zuko sitting with his head on his knees his arms hugging them. He looked like a child. Not the ruthless firebender who never gave up, but a man who had feelings, and could be hurt.
He was so deep in thought, he did not here her approach. She tapped him on the shoulder and he jumped. He stood and turned around to face her. She looked stern, but not mad at him.
She took his hand and led him in through the apartment window. She looked at him and led him into the middle of the room and sat on the floor, motioning for him to do the same.
He could not take his eyes off the hand print on her neck. He stared and stared. Finally he heard something. He looked at her. She was speaking to him.
"Zuko, I want you to know that I am not angry with you." Katara said, talking off her cloak and her water skin.
He looked at her with disbelief. How could she not hate him. He gave her a burn that would become a scar, like his. He was still angry with his father. She had to be lying.
"I want to show you something." She continued. Zuko nodded.
Katara bent the water out of her water skin and looked at it intensely. It began to shine bright blue and swirl. She bent it around her hand and then set it on her neck. She breathed deeply, and then the glowing stopped. The water rolled down her elbow and dripped steadily onto the hard wood floor. She slowly removed her hand.
Zuko gasped. The burn was gone. He looked at Katara and she smiled.
"You hurt me Zuko. But because I can forgive, I can learn to heal." She leaned forward and placed a hand on his neck right below his scar. She stroked it with her thumb. Zuko closed his eyes. When he opened them she was opening a small vial. She bent the liquid out and it began to glow white. She looked at it, and then push it into a ball, an inch away from her hands. She looked up at him, her eyes glowed to a almost white blue.
"Tell me Zuko, are you ready to forgive?" She asked and leaned forward, the ball becoming a glove around her hand.
She touched his scar and Zuko when ridged. He was always hot, and that scar was the hottest place on his body. It burned with the intensity that not many firebending masters could create such a heat. But now, it was cold.
Zuko let the cold overtake him and his head found the floor. He settled into a deep sleep.
When Zuko woke up in the morning he looked at the sun. It was burning, but it still felt cold. Zuko stood, and went to his window, fingered the lock and climbed out. He sat until the sun had fully heated him, only about three minutes and then went inside. His uncle was moving in the other room.
Zuko ran his hands over his face to clear himself of the sleep, and something was wrong. Both sides of his face were even. He was about to run to the mirror when something caught his eye.
There were two cerulean eyes looking in his window. He recognized them immediately. The eyes blinked, there was a giggle, and after that, she was gone.
Zuko walked over to the window. There was a clink at the other window, the one that faced away from the sun. He changed courses and walked over to it.
He watched as ice crystals formed on the window and reached out toward the moon that was not quite set. They grew until they formed words, followed by a sentence. They read: Forgive and Forget. Zuko smiled.
Zuko went downstairs to open shop, checking the hall mirror on the way.
So, what did you think? Good, Bad, Ugly? Well let me know. Oh and I know that Zuko was a little out of character in this Oneshot. I was asuming that he had the same attitude that he had at the begining of "The Guru".
ALSO: I personally think that Zuko is scamming Azula. Because a couple of episodes before the season finally, (ya know, the one that we all cryed at because we believed our favorite Bish was about to bite it.) Iroh said that his inner beings were like battleing it out. And I'm guessing that in "The Guru" the good one took over. Plus Zuko is just to dead sexy to do anything other than serve us. :P
SheDevil